Scandalous Desires

Chapter 20

"Elliot, I've gotta go!" she blurted out. She started collecting her things.

"Now?" said Elliot with his jaw dropped open.

"This is exactly the one-up you told me to go after." She reached over and picked his jaw up to close his mouth for him.

"But you just got here..." he said.

"I promise I will make this up to you. If I play this right by next week we'll be having a celebration meal," she said. She stood up and kissed him on both cheeks, as she started towards the exit.

"So then that's two dates!" He said with a grin.

"That's two dates!" she yelled back as she ordered her uber ride and left the restaurant.

The uber came quickly and as soon as she got in the uber she called Alex to meet her about that video.

"Alex, where are you?"

"I'm at work early. One of the girls is out sick and there's no one to replace her. And we have a few big customers coming in."

"Where to?" said the uber driver.

"Howards on 2nd Ave, please," she said to the driver.

"Alex, I'm coming. I need to talk to you about that message you sent me asap. I'll be there in about 20 minutes," she said, checking the Google maps arrival time on her phone.

"Ok. My shift doesn't start for a couple of hours but I'll be in a meeting for maybe the next 30 minutes. Wait for me in the lounge."

"Ok."

Once at Howards she was met by a young lady at the door. She was dressed in a very form fitting black, halter dress and 3 inch heels.

"Hi how can I help you?"

"Hi I'm Micah. I'm here to see Alex Please."

"Oh Micah!" she came around from her receptionist podium and gave her a big hug. "Hiiii!" she squealed.

"Hi…?" Micah said with confusion. "I'm sorry… do I know you?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm Jessica," she shook her hand. "Alex has said so much about you I feel like I know you!"

Ok! This is weird, she thought. "Good things, I hope?"

"Of course. Congrats on the journalism job by the way. To work with your idol… that's just fantastic!" she said.

Wow, she really does know me I guess, thought Micah. Mental note to tell her busy body roommate to stop sharing her personal life with people she doesn't know. "Thanks?"

"Of course!"

"Is Alex around?"

"She's still in a meeting with the manager. But you can have a seat anywhere in the lounge area," she opened the doors to the lounge. It was a dimly lit room with plush velvet red from floor to ceiling.

"Thanks," she said.

"Can I get you a drink? Oh! A... cherry margarita mocktale, perhaps, with extra cherries on the side, right?"

"Wow.. you know my favorite drink too…. Awesome!" she said with slight sarcasm and an awkward smile.

"Oh... ha ha," Jessica laughed a bit harder than Micah thought necessary. "Alex did say you had a sarcastic wittiness about you. She's so right. You're hilarious! I'll be right back with your drink." She went through some double doors to the left.

Micah entered the lounge. There was plush red seating throughout with a stage towards the back, and a bar on the right.

She decided to sit off to the left in a more secluded looking area of the room. She needed to talk to Alex in as much privacy as possible.

After a few minutes a waitress who wasn't Jessica placed her drink and a saucer of cherries in front of her and left. Two mock tales later Micah was still sitting there waiting for Alex.

When Alex did emerge there was a thick, bouncer sized man in all black who walked into the room with her. Micah looked them both over questioningly as she popped a cherry in her mouth.

"Micah!" Alex said, giving her a hug. "I'm sorry that the meeting took longer than we thought." she said sweetly,maybe a little too sweetly for Micah's liking.

"This is Joel, my manager," she said, nodding at him. He leaned in and shook my hand.

"Hi," she said, thinking that this visit to her job seemed to be a series of back to back awkward encounters with people she didn't know.

"So Micah. I was just mentioning to Joel about how you might be available to fill in for our staff member for tonight, since you have so much experience," she put emphasis on 'so much experience' that Micah wasn't sure what she was trying to hint at.

"Right!" she said, playing along. "I can…"

"...mix drinks, and be a barmaid like me!" she quickly filled in. Micah let out a nervous laugh. On the one hand she was glad that she didn't tell them she had a stripper experience, ... or worse! On the other hand, why was she setting her up to fill in for her coworker!?

"Oh of course!" she replied. Micah's mouth smiled, but her eyes were screaming murder at her crazy roommate. She was looking forward to a moment alone to get answers.

"Perfect!" said Joel. "No need for formalities. If my number one employee says you can do it, I know we're in good hands!" He said. "I'll leave Lexi to fill you in on the details!" He put his hands up and waved as he quickly headed out of the room.

"What the hell is happening?" she said as soon as she heard the doors close.

"I'm killing two birds with one stone," she said as she crossed her send over her shoulders. " I need a server tonight so that I'm not up to my neck with customers and you…"

"And me!?" Micag said, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"You will get the most delicious scoop of your life, hun!" she air kissed me cheeks. Micah grunted. "You can thank me later…"

"Why?"

"Because that video I sent you was of that Russell guy you've been writing about, and he was in here when that video was taken,"

"Oh really?" I said. My eyes widened.

"Yes, really," she nodded. "...and there's more."

"There is?" she said with intrigue dripping in her voice. "Can I get you on record confirming these things?"

"Whatever you want, as long as you work with me tonight," she said.

"Deal,"

"Really?"

"Yes really," I mimicked her words from earlier. She squealed and pulled her into a tight hug.

"So what's the more?"

"Whatever you want to know you can ask him directly since Russell called ahead, he'll be here tonight with some friends"

"Are you kidding me!?" she jumped up and hugged her back. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, roomie. How was work today by the way?"

"It sucked big time, and I wished I could have called it quits at lunch."

"I noticed you didn't say anything on TV today. I was expecting to hear my big reporter friend hit Russell and Mayor Valentine with something hard, like what's her name did…." Alex started snapping her fingers.

"Sheila Ryan." Just thinking about her brought back the annoyance of that entire fiasco of a conference.

"Yup! Now that chick is on fire," Alex said.

"I thought you didn"t watch the news," Micah said, slightly annoyed.

"Well today I did."

"So I guess you saw how I got played when Rick stole all my questions and asked them directly to Russell… with my help! Uh, I'm so naive!" Micah felt the headache coming back.

"Rookie mistake, just don't do it again, girl. Plus, I'm going to help you redeem yourself. Aren't you glad I'm your roomie?" Alex gave her a cheesy grin as she snatched the last cherry off of Micah's plate and popped it in her mouth.

"I'm not glad that you just ate my cherry…!"

"After tonight you will be."

"I have a bone to pick with you too. What's up with your fellow employees knowing all of my business,"

"Not all. Just Jessica. She's cool, you'll like her. Come on!" Alex stood up and waved for her friend to follow.

"Where are we going?" Micah asked as her phone pinged.

"You can't work here looking like this. We have to get you ready for Project R…"

"... Project R?" Micah looked at her phone it was a message from David aka Mr. Nice from the coffee shop. After the conference and everything she totally forgot to call him.

Mr. Nice: My apologies for not calling at five. I'm so swamped. I hope I can make it up to you this weekend? Is your Saturday afternoon clear?

Micah: No worries I think I was the one who was supposed to call you. Equally distracted… by work. I do have plans with my parents for brunch. After that, my time should be free… I think.

Mr. Nice: Ok. You can let me know when I reach out on Friday to confirm the time and place.

Micah: Ok. Speak to you then Mr. Nice and Smooth.

Mr. Nice: TTYS Ms Doll.

"Why are you all grinning all of a sudden? Are you texting someone?"

"Remember Rick's hot friend from the coffee shop on my first day? Well, the friend just asked me out." Micah's voice went up a few octaves.

"Can your voice go any higher with excitement?" Alex said. "Before you get too excited…"

"Too late for that."

"Hate to burst your bubble just a bit, but…Are you sure Rick isn't using his friend to blindside you somehow?"

"You think he'd do that!?" Micah felt the bubble burst. "But he's… he's so, Nice,"

"I'm not saying don't go out with him. I'm just saying be careful what you say to him while you're out. Say nothing about work, Rick, your research… Nothing!" Alex gave her a stern look.

"Alright… mom. I got it!" said Micah with a grin. "What about 'Project R' now?"

"R for Redeem," she explained. "Let's go to the back and I'll explain everything."